Fire drills
The Ontario Fire Code requires all buildings to conduct fire drills at minimum annually.
According to the University of Toronto Governing Council Policy on Crisis and Routine Emergency Preparedness and Response, all persons occupying space controlled by the University of Toronto are subject to emergency procedures, which includes evacuating a building or area upon activation of an alarm during a drill.
During the fire drills, the Fire Prevention team assesses the readiness of the fire alarm systems and emergency exiting provisions.
Everyone’s participation is critical to test each building’s evacuation procedures and exiting, as well as identify and address potential issues under full occupancy conditions.
Frequency of fire drills
The Ontario Fire Code mandates a different fire drill frequency for different building types:
- Monthly for daycares
- Thrice per semester for schools
- Every three months for buildings taller than 18 metres
All other buildings are required to conduct annual fire drills.
How this may impact you
Mandatory evacuation fire drills on campus are scheduled in August and September.
The day before a fire drill, notices are posted at the buildings’ main entrances(s). Heavy rain or other inclement weather may result in a fire drill being rescheduled.
During a fire drill, the building fire alarm system will typically sound for up to 15 minutes.
Everyone inside a building during a fire drill must evacuate according to the fire evacuation procedures.
Evacuation procedures
The purpose of a mandatory evacuation fire drill is to practice the emergency evacuation procedures as though a real fire emergency is taking place.
The building must be fully evacuated in three to five minutes.
When the fire alarm sounds, everyone in the building:
- Must never ignore or assume the alarm is false or a test
- Must turn off all equipment before evacuating, if applicable
- Must exit the building using the nearest and safest exit or stairway
- Must never use the elevators
- Must close (but not lock) all doors behind them
- Must move away from the building and not obstruct fire department access
- Must not re-enter the building until advised
- In the event of a fire, the Fire Department has the authority over the emergency scene and would advise occupants if and when a re-entry is safe
- Should take valuables with you (e.g., purses, jackets, keys)
When the fire alarm sounds, faculty and managers:
- Are responsible for evacuating students and staff using the nearest and safest exit
- Must remind students and staff of the evacuation procedures
- Must ensure all equipment is turned off prior to evacuating the building (e.g., Bunsen burners, machines, kitchen stoves)
Procedure for those requiring assistance to evacuate
When the fire alarm sounds:
- If you are on the ground floor, exit as you normally would
- If you are above or below the ground floor, stay where you are.
- In the event of a fire, staying in place will assist the Fire Department to evacuate you, if required
Schedule
Annual fire drills and mandatory evacuations on the St. George campus will be taking place August through October 2024.
Fire drills for buildings taller than 18 metres, daycares, and schools are scheduled directly with building occupants by your fire prevention officer.
| Building name and code | Scheduled fire drill |
|---|---|
| 215 Huron Street (067) | August 7, 2024 |
| Koffler Student Services Centre (043) | August 7, 2024 |
| Gage Building (082) | August 7, 2024 |
| Cumberland House (026) | August 7, 2024 |
| Borden Building North (061A) | August 8, 2024 |
| Borden Building South (061) | August 8, 2024 |
| Graduate Students’ Union (056) | August 8, 2024 |
| Bancroft Building (057) | August 8, 2024 |
| Physical Geography Building (027) | August 9, 2024 |
| Simcoe Hall (010) | August 9, 2024 |
| Communications House (092) | August 9, 2024 |
| Rotman School of Management (134) | August 9, 2024 |
| Alumni House (019) | August 12, 2024 |
| 263 McCaul Street (156) | August 12, 2024 |
| C. David Naylor Building (011) | August 12, 2024 |
| McMurrich Building (004) | August 12, 2024 |
| Canadiana Gallery (047) | August 12, 2024 |
| 254-256 McCaul Street (083) | August 12, 2024 |
| Exam Centre (005) | August 12, 2024 |
| Huron Sussex Housing (888) | August 13, 2024 |
| 703 Spadina Ave (125) | August 13, 2024 |
| North West Chiller Plant (122) | August 13, 2024 |
| 40 Sueex Ave (146) | August 13, 2024 |
| Fasken Building (151) | August 13, 2024 |
| 123 St. George Street (188) | August 14, 2024 |
| 121 St. George Street (110) | August 14, 2024 |
| Innis College (132) | August 14, 2024 |
| Central Steam Plant (018) | August 14, 2024 |
| Faculty Club (075) | August 14, 2024 |
| Max Gluskin House (104) | August 14, 2024 |
| Macdonald-Mowat House (172) | August 15, 2024 |
| School of Graduate Studies (063) | August 15, 2024 |
| School of Continuing Studies (103) | August 15, 2024 |
| 162 St. George Street (102) | August 15, 2024 |
| Enrolment Services (127) | August 15, 2024 |
| Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport (042) | August 16, 2024 |
| Varsity Centre (030A) | August 16, 2024 |
| Varsity Pavilion (041) | August 16, 2024 |
| Lillian Massey Building (528) | August 20, 2024 |
| Robarts Library (006) | August 21, 2024 |
| Robarts Common (006C) | August 21, 2024 |
| FitzGerald Building (025) | August 22, 2024 |
| Aerospace Building (049) | August 23, 2024 |
| UTL at Downsview (149) | August 23, 2024 |
| Knox College (126) | October 1, 2024 |
| Warren Stevens Building (068A) | October 1, 2024 |
| Clara Benson Building (068) | October 1, 2024 |
| Faculty of Law (040) | October 2, 2024 |
| Falconer Hall (050) | October 2, 2024 |
| Edward Johnson Building (051) | October 2, 2024 |
| 90 Wellesley Street West (098C) | October 2, 2024 |
| UTL at Downsview (149) | October 3, 2024 |
| Aerospace Building (049) | October 3, 2024 |
| University College (001) | October 8, 2024 |
| Hart House (002) | October 8, 2024 |
| Medical Sciences Building (005) | October 11, 2024 |
| Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular & Biomolecular Research (160) | October 11, 2024 |
| Daniels Building (054) | October 11, 2024 |
| Sandford Fleming Building (009) | September 16, 2024 |
| Galbraith Building (070) | September 16, 2024 |
| Lassonde Mining Building (007) | September 16, 2024 |
| Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship (087) | September 17, 2024 |
| Wallberg Building (008) | September 17, 2024 |
| D.L. Pratt Building (008A) | September 17, 2024 |
| Electrometallurgy Lab (093) | September 17, 2024 |
| Bahen Centre for Information Technology (080) | September 18, 2024 |
| Mechanical Engineering Building (022) | September 18, 2024 |
| Engineering Annex (021) | September 18, 2024 |
| Haultain Buildsing (024) | September 18, 2024 |
| Student Commons (028) | September 19, 2024 |
| Back Campus Fields (094) | September 19, 2024 |
| Astronomy & Astrophysics Building (036) | September 19, 2024 |
| Anthropology Building (079) | September 19, 2024 |
| Earth Sciences Centre (062) | September 20, 2024 |
| Ramsay Wright Laboratories (072) | September 20, 2024 |
| Lash Miller Chemical Laboratories (073) | September 20, 2024 |
| Sidney Smith Hall (033) | September 23, 2024 |
| Woodsworth College (038) | September 23, 2024 |
| University College Union (023) | September 23, 2024 |
| Munk School of Global Affairs at the Observatory (089) | September 24, 2024 |
| Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work (111) | September 24, 2024 |
| Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (123) | September 24, 2024 |
| Jackman Humanities Building (128) | September 24, 2024 |
| Health Sciences Building (154) | September 25, 2024 |
| Leslie L. Dan Pharmacy Building (161) | September 26, 2024 |
| Rehabilitation Sciences Building (152) | September 27, 2024 |
| Dentistry Building (065) | September 27, 2024 |
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Questions
For questions about fire drills or building evacuations, please contact your fire prevention officer.